The secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in an interview that the department found that 500,000 people are registered twice for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, while more than 5,000 deceased people have also been receiving the benefits.
In an interview on Tuesday with Fox News, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said that SNAP is one of the “most corrupt, dysfunctional programs” in U.S. history, adding that 80% of people using the program are able to work. After an investigation, the secretary said that 5,000 dead people were getting SNAP, while another 500,000 people were getting SNAP twice under the same name.
“They choose not to work” because taxpayers are footing the bill, she added, saying that “very big announcements” will be coming in the next week.
Her comment was made as SNAP benefits, known as food stamps, saw setbacks and legal wrangling during the government shutdown that was ended on Wednesday evening.
Rollins also suggested that if some SNAP benefits are cut off, more illegal immigrants will self-deport, which she said would change the outcome of the Census.
